Nuggets should focus on adding in this area in 2024 NBA Draft

This is a critical offseason for the Nuggets and they need to nail their moves to find advantages on the margins. The options are limited, but the team needs to be prepared for the potential loss of key starter, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

KCP has a player option that he’s likely to decline and become an unrestricted free agent. He’ll be a highly coveted veteran role player on the open market and there’s a very realistic chance that the Nuggets get outbid and ultimately lose his services. 

Unfortunately, even if that happens, the team will be over the salary cap and won’t have the financial means to replace him beyond minimum contracts or exceptions. All of these factors make this month’s draft extremely crucial for the franchise and the future of the roster.

The 28th pick in the draft is one of the best - and only - assets the Nuggets have to work with this summer. It’s not a great pick, and this isn’t said to be a great draft, but solid role players can be found late in the first round, and that’s exactly what the Nuggets need.

The Nuggets need a rotation piece on the wing

One area the Nuggets can especially attack in the draft is one they’ve done well with recently, finding two-way wing players. The Nuggets have had relatively good hits with Christian Braun and Peyton Watson (the jury is still out on Julian Strawther), but they need to shore up the wing depth in the rotation. 

The NBA has become a wing-driven league, as we are seeing the Celtics dominating the league led by their two star wings that they’ve drafted and developed. The Nuggets are a bit of an anomaly, led by a guard and big man in Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic.

That’s exactly why the Nuggets need to aggressively target the wing position and build depth and versatility in between their two stars. There are often ready-made pros at the position who can step in and provide useful NBA rotation minutes right out of college. That’s a great position for the Nuggets to focus on in the upcoming draft.

Whether the roster undergoes big changes or not, there is always a need for wing depth. The Nuggets would be wise to go after players who can step in and guard on the wing while also making some type of offensive contributions, either hitting open shots or being able to get to the rim off the dribble.